Work Truck Magazine, December 2018

16 WORK TRUCK DECEMBER 2018 About nine people die each day as a result of distracted driving Another 1000 injuries occur per day in accidents that reportedly involve a distracted driver according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA These injuries or deaths cost organizations a pretty penny On average a single vehicle crash can cost employers about 16500 noted The Occupational Safety and Health Administration OHSA And if the accident results in injuries that amount skyrockets to more than 74000 In the worst case scenario costs of a fatal crash can start at 500000 These eye popping stats illuminate the importance of implementing a top notch driver distraction program in work truck fleets large and small And as mobile technology continues to proliferate driver distractions grow as well Lets break down the numbers further Distracted driving claimed 3450 lives in 2016 and 391000 individuals were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015 according to NHTSA 10 of fatal crashes 15 of injury crashes and 14 of all police reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015 were reported as distraction affected crashes NHTSA reported Distracted driving crashes are under reported and the National Safety Council NSC estimates that cell phone use alone accounts for 27 of vehicular crashes Top Distracted Driving Behaviors Distracted driving behaviors include answering the phone or making a call reading or sending text messages surfing the internet posting to social media and even participating in a video chat all while driving A 2016 NSC survey of more than 3400 adult drivers across the U S revealed that drivers engaged in distracting behaviors often or occasionally 19 made or answered phone calls with handheld devices 51 made or answered calls hands free with headsets speakerphones and in vehicle systems 32 reviewed or sent text messages 23 reviewed or sent an e mail 23 glanced at read or posted social media messages 21 surfed the internet 19 looked at took or posted photos or videos 14 watched TV or a movie on the phone 14 participated in a video chat Plus distracted drivers are more likeAT A GLANCE Distracted driving is defined as anything that takes the drivers attention away from driving Doing the following while driving could end up in tragedy u Texting or talking on a phone u Eating or drinking u Looking at the GPS or navigation system u Fiddling with the radio or climate controls u Talking to passengers in the vehicle u Grooming u Dealing with loose equipment or supplies PHOTO GETTY IMAGES KNOWN AS THE NEW DRUNK DRIVING DISTRACTED DRIVING CLAIMS THOUSANDS OF LIVES EACH YEAR HERES HOW WORK TRUCK FLEETS DEAL WITH DISTRACTED DRIVING TEMPTATIONS About 9 people are killed each day and more than 1000 injured per day in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver SOURCE NHTSA Cell phone users are 536 times more likely to get into an accident than undistracted drivers SOURCE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 10 WAYS TO MINIMIZE DISTRACTED DRIVING BY CHERYL KNIGHT

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